Draw-gear for cars.



PATENTBD NDV. l, 1904.

G. L. HARVEY.

DRAW GEAR POR CARS. APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 14. 1903.

N0 MODEL.l

No. 773,737. PATENTED NOV. l, 1904.

G. L. HARVEY. A

DRAW GEAR POR CARS.

APPLIOATIONIFILED AUG.14. 1903.

N0 MODEL. 2SHEETS-SHEET.2.

UNITED STATES Patented November 1, 1904.

GEORGE LYON HARVEY,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DRAW-GEAR FOR CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 773,737, dated November 1, 1904.

Application filed August 14, 1903.

To all whom it may con/cern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE LYON HARVEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook, State of Illinois, (having a post-office address at 175 Dearborn street, in said city,) have invented certain new and usefulV Improvements in Draw-Gears for Cars, of which the following is a full and true description, reference being had to the accompanying' drawings, showing two embodiments of my invention.

The object of this invention is to provide a novel form of yieldingl draft-rigging for railway-cars.

The especial point of novelty of the invention consists in providing yieldingly-mounted levers moved by the draw-bar and greatly increasing the resistance of the draft-rigging to pulling or buing strains. Y

Broadly stated, the invention includes the placing of the levers 'in any manner to be moved when the draw-bar is either pulled or bufl'ed, and the movements of the leversmay be partially independent of those of the drawbar. In the preferred embodiments of my invention, however, a pair of levers are loosely carried by or connected with the draw-bar or the draw-bar yoke, so that the initial or shorter movements of the draw-bar will not operate the levers. By preference, also, springs or other yielding connections for the levers, which may well be carried by or connected to the car-frame, are carried by said parts, thus making the entire structure independently of such car-frame.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a partly-sectional top view of one embodiment of the invention, wherein an auxiliary draft-spring is used. Fig. 9. shows a right-hand view of Fig. l, parts of the levers having been removed. Fig. 3 shows a vertical section of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a partial vertical section of a modification in which suhsills are connected with the draft-rigging, the whole constituting a complete device to' be attached to any form of car. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view showing preferred form and arrangement of the levers. Figs. 7 and 8 are details of the structure of Figs. l, 2,

Serial No. 169,459. (No model.)

and 3. Fig. 9 is a detail showing a modification of Fig. 6. Y

A indicates a draw-bar, and B a couplerhead. These may be of any desired shape or construction and may be separate or integral.

C indicates a draw-bar yoke. rI`he manner of attaching the same is clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4, wherein the jaws of the yoke engage an enlargement a of the tail of the draw-bar.

The draw-bar and yoke may be fitted hetween the ordinary draft-sillsD and E, Figs. l to 3 and 7 and 8, or between subsills E F', Figs. 4 and 5. The former may be the center sills of the car-frame or extensions therefrom, while the latter may be secured to draft-sills or timbers D'.

The draft-sills D and E are slotted, and castings F and G are attached to such sills, with projections of such castings litting the slots of the sills. As indicated in the drawings, rivets f may be used to secure casting F in place and rivets g may be used to secure casting G in place. Each casting is provided with a slot Y2, which is oppositely recessed at Y3 Yi, and in the opposite castings these recesses are reversed-that is to say, in casting G the recesss are at the lower part of slot Y2, as shown, while in the casting F the recesses are at the upper part of the slot. In Fig. 6 this arrangement and reversal of recesses is more clearly shown, they being formed, however, in the sills themselves, not in attached castings. rIhe castings F and G are provided at their rear endswith projections or ribs, and a spacing-block H, fitted between said ribs, is secured in place by bolts 7i /L la.

While the especial novelty of the present invention is in the employment of yieldinglymounted levers, yet this structure may be advantageously supplemented by ordinary draftsprings for taking up the lighter buiiing or pulling strains. For this purposethe levers maybe loosely mounted, as indicated in Figs l and 3, in a lever-block I, the rear end of which may be utilized as one of the followerplates of the usual draft-rigging, while the rear end of the yoke C will loosely engage a follower-plate J, which normally bears against projections Z Z, Fig. l, of the castings Fand G. When the draw-bar is pulled, the fol- IOO lower-plate J will be drawn forward, thus compressing the springs K and L, located between the fol-lower and the lever-block I, and when bufting strains are imparted to the drawbar the follower .I is firmly held by projections Z Z, while the lever-block I compresses the springs.

One manner of mounting the lever-block I in the yoke is shown in Figs. l, 3, and 8. The block comprises an open-sided frame {itted between the tail e of the draw-bar and the springs K L. The lever-block is fitted in the yoke C and is guided by projections f2 f3 from casting F (see Fig. 8) and by projections y of casting Gr. In addition the lever-block and the levers, as hereinafter explained, cooperate in maintaining their positions.

()ne function of thelever-block I is to carry the levers hereinafter described so as to afford a loose connection between said levers and the draw-bar or its yoke. Such a loose connection may, however, be assured in many other ways and be made either directly or indirectly with the draw-bar. In Fig. 4I have omitted the lever-block, using instead thereof short recessed blocks H and I, the former abutting the tailpiece c of the draw-bar and the latter fitted to the rear of the yoke C. It will be noticed also that the structure shown in Fig. 4 does not employ draft-springs K L and the lever-supporting parts are not employed as a follower.

An essential part of my invention is loosely connecting' a pair of yielding levers with a draw-bar, and I prefer that the levers shall be carried by the draw-bar or its yoke and also that the springs which are put under strain by the levers shall be entirely supported by the levers themselves. In this manner the levers and springs become floating parts, which will operate irrespective of the amount of slack in the draft-rigging or of injury to or looseness of either of the draftsills. The connection of draw-bar, levers, and springs also constitutes a complete draft-rigging apparatus, which may be made and sold as such. The preferred embodiment ofv my invention employs a pair of levers moving independently of each other and carrying springs which are put under strain when the draw-bar is used either for pulling or bufling. I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings an upper lever M and a lower lever \l, pivoted together (independently of their connection with the draw-bar or yoke) by a pin O, shown integral with lever N and passing upwardly through an opening in the lever M.

Referring to Figs. l and 6, which show preferred forms of levers, it will be seen that each of the levers has curved bearing-surfaces iitting the lever-block or otherwise fitting the draw-baror yoke and curved bearing-surfaces fitting casting G or draft-sill F. In Fig. 6 the first-named bearing-surfaces of the upper lever are indicated at M2 M2, and the secondnamed bearing-surfaces of the same lever are indicated at lV 3 M3. The upper lever is also shown as having integral stops fm/ m2 071301# at the opposite sides of the short ends, and these constitute square bearing-surfaces, as hereinafter described. Said upper lever is also provided with oppositely-disposed stops mf and m6. The lower lever is provided with stops wf, 7a2, w3, and a4, the latter being shown dotted in Fig. 6.

Normally the levers are in the position shown in Figs. l, 2, and 3, being held by means of springs. As stated, the springs may be connected or supported by any part of the car or car attachment; but I prefer to have the springs carried entirely by the levers themselves. The embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings consists in mounting the springs W X, Fig. l, upon a rod R at opposite sides of the levers, said springs fitting between end plates U and U (held on the rod by nuts which fit the threaded ends of the rod) and bearing-plates T and T', which are centrally apertured and loosely lit upon the rod R. Said plates are provided with alined knife-edge ribs 1f, extending from the outer edge of the plate to the central opening, and these ribs fit notches formed in the levers. Preferably each lever is bent at its long end and provided with alined notches at its opposite sides. Thus lever M has alined notches S and S:i at its sides, and lever N has alined notches S and S2 at its sides, and when assembled all the notches on each side are in line, as shown in Fig. 5. The knife-edge ribs t iit into all four alined notches S 2 S3 Si at each side when the levers are in normal position, being held thereto by the springs. These latter are preferably assembled as shown in Fig. l, wherein a single set of springs W and X are placed between the end plate U and bearing-plate T, and duplicate sets of springs arranged in series, separated by a washer V, are placed between the end plate U and bearing-plate T. Preferably the smaller springs W press the bearing-plates T and T/, so as to keep the ribs t in the notches, and the larger springs X. merely rest upon the springs I/V when the parts are in normal position.

The operation of the draft-rigging so far as described is as follows: Thenever a buffing strain is given to the draw-bar, the tailpiece e of the latter pushes the lever-block I, and the springs K and L are compressed between the rear of the block and the followerplate J, and by reason of the space between the block and the forward bearing-surface M2 of lever M there will be no movement of the levers if the bufting shock is a light one. If, however, the shock is a heavy one, the levers will be driven rearwardly until the rear curved bearing part M3 (see Figs. l, 2, and 6) strikes the upper portion of the slot Y?,

whereupon the lever M will be halted and TOO IIO

the continued movement of the'draw-bar willV force the curved bearing part N3 of lever N to enter the rearward recess Yi, Fig. 2. The interruption of one lever and continued movement of the other results in the movement of both' levers about the pivot-pin O, and the outer ends of the levers spread apart, as shown in Fig'. 6, putting the springs W and K at both sides of the levers under compression. the draw-bar, the yoke C will draw the follower-plate J forward until the springs K and L are compressed sufliciently to cause the pull to be transferred to the levers M and N, which will be spread apart substantially as hereinbefore explained, but in` the direction the reverse of that illustrated in Fig. 6.

In order that the levers may not work out of the draft-rigging, I have shown limitingstops which do not interfere with the lever movements. Referring to Figs. l, 2, and 8, it will be seen that an integral projection M10 on lever M and a plate N10, secured Linder-l neath the extremityT of the short arm of lever N, cooperate in preventing shaking of the levers out of the lever-block I. As an alternative the device shown in Fig. 9 may be used. In such device a pin L', projecting upwardly from the lever M, is arranged to play in a slot formed by a cap-plate K', secured to the outer side of the draft-sill E. l

Then both of the levers are bearing against their fulcrum-points and the drawbar is pressing equallyy on both levers, (and it cannot do otherwise in the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawings,) there will be but little strain on the pivot-pin O, owing to the lfact that the bearing-surfaces of the levers on the sills will be found to be square with the line of the center of the draw-bar or pull, and there is therefore no tendency to spread the draft-sills apart or to draw them together.

It will be obvious that the lever-block I and draft-springs K and L or any of said parts may be omitted, as sliown in Figs. 4 and 5. In said figures the levers are loosely fitted in recessed end blocks H' and I', seated in the yoke C. In said Figs. 5 and 6 I have also shown a manner of applying the draftrigging' to a car by means of subsills. For this purpose I prefer castings E' and F', which constitute subsills, readily attachable to wooden timbers D' D' or other parts of the car-body D2. Said subsills are shown as being spaced apart and strengthened by end block G' and sleeves J' and bolts J The illustrated attachment of the springs IV X, mounting' said springs on the levers themselves, results in a very simple and efiicient form of apparatus for taking up shocks.

The load on the springs is thrown onto the levers themselves and not transferred to the sills or other portion of the car. rIhe springs will always work properly no matter how I/Vhen a pulling strain is imparted to Draft-sills often become misplaced or work loose, and in such cases my new apparatus by reason of having the springs mounted on and following the levers is highly advantageous.

WhileI have shown and described two embodiments of my improvements, it will be obvious to persons skilled in the draft-rigging art that other forms may be devised which will still be within the scope of my invention.

Vhat I claim is- 1. In a draft-rigging for cars, a draw-bar, a pair of levers carried by and freely movable V on the draw-bar, and yielding means for normally drawing the levers together, substantially as described.

2. In a draft-rigging for cars, a draw-bar, a Y

' together, substantially as described.

4. In a draft-rigging for cars, a draw-bar, a pair of levers carried by the draw-bar and adapted to move back and forth and in opposite directions, yielding means carried by levers and readily-detachable connections between the levers and the yielding means, substantially as described.

5. In a draft-rigging for cars, a draw-bar, a pair of levers slidably pivoted to the drawbar and adapted to move back and forth and in opposite directions, and yielding means for drawing the levers together, substantially as described.

6. In a draft-rigging for cars, a draw-bar, a. pair of levers carried by the draw-bar and pivoted together by means independent of the draw-bar, and yielding means for normally drawing the levers together, substantially as described.

7. In a draft-rigging for cars, a draw-bar, a pair of levers movable independently of one another in both directions carried by and freely movable on the draw-bar, and means. for yieldingly maintaining' the levers in normal relation,l substantially as described.l

8. In a draft-rigging for cars, a draw-bar, a yoke carried thereby, recessed blocks secured to said yoke, a pair of levers looselyfcarried by the recessed blocks, and yielding means connected with said levers, substantially as described.

9. In a draft-rigging for cars, a draw-bar, connections from the car for loosely supporting the draw-bar, a pair of levers carried by IOO and freely movable on said bar, yielding l of levers loosely pivoted upon and carried -by means connected with said levers, and stops for causing the levers to move to and from each other upon movement of the draw-bar, substantially as described.

10. In a draft-rigging for cars, a draw-bar, connections from the car for loosely supporting the draw-bar, a pair of levers adapted to be moved by the said bar, yielding means connected with said levers, and stops for causing the levers to move to and from each other upon movement of the draw-bar, substantially as described.

11. In a draft-rigging for cars, a drai Y-bar, connections from the car for loosely supporting the draw-bar, a pair of levers adapted to be moved by said bar, yielding means connected with said levers, and stops for intercepting the said levers successively upon movement of the draw-bar, substantially as described.

12. In a draft-rigging for cars, a draw-bar, connections from the car for loosely supporting the draw-bar forforward and rearward movements, a pair of levers adapted to be moved by said bar in either direction, yielding means connected with said levers, and stops for successively intercepting the said levers upon movement of the draw-bar in either direction, substantially as described.

13. In a draft-rigging for cars, a draw-bar, a pair of draft-beams, connections from the car for loosely supporting the draw-bar, a pair of levers carried by and Yfreely movable on said bar, yielding1 means connected with said levers, and means connected with one of the draft-beams 'for causing' the levers to move to and from each other upon movement of the draw-bar, substantially as described.-

14. In a draft-rigging for cars, a draw-bar, a pair of draft-beams, one of which is slotted, connections from the car for loosely supporting the draw-bar, a pair of levers carried by and freely movable on said bar and projecting into the slot aforesaid in such position as to be successively intercepted by the walls thereof, and yielding` means operated by said levers, substantially as described.

15. In a draft-rigging for cars, a draw-bar, a pair of draft-beams, one of which is provided with an irregular slot, connections from the car for loosely supporting the draw-bar, a pair of levers carried by and freely movable on said bar and projecting' into the slot aforesaid in such position as to be successively intercepted by the walls thereof, and yielding means connected with said levers, substantially as described.

16. In a draft-rigging for cars, a draw-bar, a pair of slotted draft-beams, the slots being n l oppositely disposed, connections from the car l for loosely supporting the draw-bar, a pair said bar and with the opposite lever-arms loosely playing in the slots aforesaid, and yielding means connected with said levers, substantially as described.

17. In a draft-rigging for cars, a draw-bar, a pair of slotted draft-beams, the slots being oppositely disposed and reversely formed, connections from the car for loosely supporting the draw-bar, a pair of levers loosely pivoted upon and carried by said bar and with the opposite lever-arms loosely playing in the slots aforesaid and being successively intercepted by the walls of the slots upon movements of the draw-bar in either direction, and yielding means operated by said levers, substantially as described.

18. In a draft-rigging for cars, a draw-bar, connections from the car for loosely supporting the draw-bar, yielding means operated directly by the draw-bar, a pair of levers movable independently of one another in both directions, and carried by and freely movable on the draw-bar, and separate yielding means operated by the levers, substantially as described.

19. In a draft-rigging for cars, a draw-bar, connections from the ear for loosely supporting the draw-bar, follower devices directly operated by the movement of the draw-bar, yielding means between the follower devices, a pair of levers movable independently of one another in both directions, and carried by and freely movable on the draw-bar, and separate yielding means operated by the levers, substantially as described.

20. In a draft-rigging for cars, a draw-bar, yielding means adapted to be directly operated by the movement of the draw-bar in either direction, a pair of levers movable independently of one another in both directions, and carried by and freely movable on the draw-bar, and separate yielding means supported by the levers and operated thereby, substantially as described.

21. In a draft-rigging for cars, a draw-bar, a pair of levers carried by and freely movable on the draw bar, two springs of different strength, and connections whereby the springs are successively operated by the levers, substantially as described.

22. In a draft-rigging for cars, a draw-bar, lever connections carried by and freely movable on the draw-bar, two springs of different strength, and connections whereby the springs are successively operated by the lever connections, substantially as described.

GEORGE LYON HARVEY.

Vitnesses:

ELLA MAE CoL'roN, HARRY C. FERREE.

IOO

IIO 

